Vestibule-car



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1'..

N. P. GOWBLL. VBSTIBULE GAR.

No. 457,472. Patented Aug. 11, 1891.

o o o D e o e o a 0 e O a o 'l\ 1 e Q o E, G 0 G Q 0 G o 0 0 G o D TIURNEY 3 (No Model.)

N. P. COWELL.`

VBSTIBULE GAR.

Patented Aug. l1, 1891.

! will 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

WIJ-H5555 @MJ-dw.

N. P. COWELL.

(No Model.) x 3 Sheets-Sheet. 3.

VESTIBULB GAR.

Patented Aug. 11,1891.

wm S5555 UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.`

NEwELL P. cowELL, or CLEVELAND, oHio.

lvEsTleuLis-can.

ASPECIFICAEION forming part of Letters Patent No. 457,472, dated August 11, 1891.

Application iiled December 19, 1890. Serial No. 375,257. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, t r11/ay concern,.-

Be it known that I, N EwELL P. CowELL, of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vestibule-Cars; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in vestibule-cars; and it consists in certain features of construction, and in combination of parts hereinafter described, and pointed out in-the claims. l

In United States Letters Patent No. 394,339, granted to meDecember 11, 1888, heavy metal spring-backed frames or face-plates were shown for attaching, respectively, the outer edges of the curtain. These heavy metal face-plates or frames were expensive to construct, .and it was found in practice that the spring-backing thereof, more especially at the upper end of such frame or face-plate, would after a time lose somewhat of its tension, by reason of which the face-plate or frame would' not make tight joints with an opposing frame, but, on the contrary, would sometimes gape, perhaps, two or three inches, thus failing to protect the interior ot the vestibule from the weather. In view of these di'iculties, and in order to construct mechanism less expensive and much more eieotive for the purpose,'I

have discarded such faceplates orframes, and

in place thereof have devised the mechanism shown in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in seetion. Fig. 2 is an end elevation. Figs. 3 and 4. are plans in section of the one side of the vestibules, showing, respectively, the curtains or shutters in open and closed position. Fig. 5 is a plan of a portion of the vestibule with the curtain or shutter removed. Figs-6 and T are plans in detail. Fig. Sis an enlarged side elevation partly in section.

A A represent the vest-ibules of opposing cars, and B B are the side curtains or shutters for closing the lateral spaces between the vestibule-cars. The curtains or shutters may be of any suitable material-such, for instance, as sheet metal or canvas-fand in case of can- Vas or other iiexible materialtheyare stretched upon and secu red to light frames b, usually of metal. The curtains and frames, or the shutters, whichever they may be designated, are adapted, respectively, to retire into recesses a, constructed in the side walls of the vestibuie. At the rear end of these recesses are provided upright spring-actuated rollers C, and the curtains or shutters have attached strips c of canvas or other strong iiexible material, strips c being fastened to and adapted to wind on the respective rollers, whereby the curtains or shutters when not fastened together are drawn into the recesses a a.

To the inner edge of each curtain-frame or shutter I attach a strap D, preferably about .midway thereof vertically, and these straps are provided, for instance, with hooks d or other means for fastening together opposing straps D and thereby holding opposing cur-v :tains or shutters together, and the other ends lof straps D are provided with suitable handles d for manipulating these straps, and suitable guards or loops are provided, as at b',

for holding up the free ends of straps D when unhooked.v

on the one curtain-frame or shutter andv a groove on the other curtain-frame or shut-ter of the same vestibule, soy that if a carbe turned end for end the curtain-frames or shutters will match.

E E are the buers of the opposing cars,

the buffers having longitudinal slots or mortises e e, and the curtain-frames or shutters having tenons b4, adapted to operate in these mortises, whereby the line of union of opposing curtain-frames orshutters is always coincident with the contact-line of the buffers.

For closing the space at the tops of the vestibules I provide, first, light metal cross-bars F, usually of malleable cast-iron or of brass, these bars resting on the upper edges of the curtain-frames or shutters, the end sections of bars F being bent down outside the curtain-frames or shutters, as shown at F. The opposing edges of bars F are provided with tongues f and grooves f for mutual engagement, a tongue and a groove being located on the same bar, commencing at the longitudinal center thereof, the tongues and' grooves extending in. opposite directions tov IOO the respective ends of the bar, so that these bars will match in changing ends of the car. A hood G, of canvas, leather, or Yother suitable material, is folded like a bellows, the one edge of the hood being attached to the vestibule a-nd the other edge being attached to the adjacent bar F, the ends of the hood extending down some little distance past and on the outside of the upper sections of the curtains or shutters, as shown at G", also, on the inside I provide member H, usually of the same material as the hood and folded like a fan and attached the one edge thereof toV the inside of the hood and the other edge to and grooved for mutual engagement, such the curtain-frame or shutter.

I I are slight links or push-bars, constructed usually of thin metal straps, pivoted at .i to

the curtain-frame or shutter and pivoted at c" to the next adjacent bar F, so that i-n dra-wing 'the cu-rtainsor shutters together links I will force and hold the opposing bars F together, and thereby distend the hoods. If one bumper happens to be higher than the opposing bumper, as is likely to be the case y wher-cone car is not so heavily laden as the opposing car, this does not matter, although it would raise the one curtain or shutter perhaps an inch or two above the opposing .curtain Lor shutter; but the hoods can accommodate themselves to such inequality, and inclosing bars F F the lowerbar would have to be raised to a level with the other bar, so 4that the tongues and grooves thereof could interlock, l

and :in such position of parts the vestibule would be as effeetually closed as when the opposing bumpers were on the same level. Straps D, although .strong enough =to hold the cu rtains or shutterstogether, still if `the cars were inadvertently uncoupled and separated Without unfastenin-g these straps the straps would break without causing any further damage, and :in uncoupling the cars it is only necessary to unhook or unfasten straps I), after which the curtains or shutters will take carek of themselves, being quickly retired into the recesses bythe action of vthe spring-actuated rollers. As straps D are fastened to the inner sheet of metal, preferably steel, might vtake the place of the curtain and curtain-frame shown, in which case these parts of the device would more properlybe called shutters, and

cross-bars having depending ends or .members overlapping the 'shutters on the outer side Of the latter, substantially as set for-th.

2. In vestibule-carsthe combination of shut- 1ers and cross-bars substantially as indicated, links `or push-bars pivotallyconnected with the respective shutters and with the .adjacent end sections of opposi=ngcrossbars foractuating the latter with the 'movement of .the shutters, substantially as set forth.

3. In vestibule-cars, the combination, with shutters substantially as indicated, of carbuers, the latter having longitudinal slots and the shutters having tenons adapted to .operate in s-uch slots, substantially as set forth.

4. In vestibule-cars, the combination., with 'shutters,crossbars resti-nguponthe shutters, and links or push-bars connecting -t-he shutters and cross-bars, of a hood of the bellowsfold variety, such hood being fastened the one edge thereof to the vestibule and the other edge thereof to the adjacent cross-har,

substantially asset forth.

5. In vestibule-cars, `the combination, with shutters or .curtains 4having frames or .means of holding such curtains distended, of straps connecting, respectively, with .the rear or inner edges .of the cuntains or shutters, the-free endsof such straps having attached mut-nally-engaging locking mechanism for .holding the curtains or shutters closed together, substantial-ly as set fort-h.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification, 'in the presence of two witnesses, lthis 20th day of November, 1890.

NEWELL P. UOWELL.

NVitnesses:

C. DORER, WARDHoovER.

IOO 

